The Top PS3 Games for the Holidays

We’ve already highlighted some of the top holiday gaming picks for the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii. Now it’s time to take a look at the third major player in the console wars–the PlayStation 3.

Not surprisingly, a number of the top holiday games on the PS3 also appear on the Xbox 360 list. Sony does have a few exclusives, however, including the latest Gran Turismo and the PlayStation Move, the company’s attempt at a Wii-killer.

Gran Turismo 5

The PlayStation’s flagship racing series finally makes its PS3 debut with the fifth entry in the series. The title is a worthy new installment for the popular series, thanks to heavy customization, a wide variety of car choices, and really solid driving physics.

Call of Duty: Black Ops

This first-person shooter is easily the biggest game of the year, if not ever. Really. It blew past previous records for entertainment sales — not video game sales, entertainment sales. The game made $360 million in its first 24 hours in North America alone. That’s just crazy. The Call of Duty: World at War sequel has also been garnering strong reviews for its portrayal of Cold War battles.

Assassin’s Creed

This third installment in the popular Ubisoft series returns the players to Italy for more wall-scaling action. Brotherhood deepens the already dense plot with additional timelines, 15 playable characters, and a new multiplayer mode. Arguably the best reviewed game of the year, the game was met with nearly universal acclaim when it launched last month.

PlayStation Move

Okay, it’s a controller, not a game, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t include the PlayStation Move. At present, the motion controller doesn’t really have a killer app, but it’s still likely to be the hottest PlayStation accessory this holiday season. Sony is selling a bundle for the peripheral featuring a number of game demos, including Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11, Time Crisis: Razing Storm, Echochrome II, EyePet, Kung Fu Rider, and Sports Champions.

Vanquish

Battle over natural resources! Rescue scientists! Shoot lots and lots of guns! This cool third-person shooter puts you in Sam Gideon’s Augmented Reaction Suit in a battle against, who else, the Russians.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

This reboot of the perennial favorite supernatural action series puts you right in the middle of the action. Taking place in the year 1047, you’ll battle vampires, werewolves, and the like, in an attempt to save your mortal pals.